Rank Hovis Mill by Night - Ramsgate - January 2013

I'm lacking transport at the moment, so I decided to take a walk and have a revisit of my most familiar UE haunt. Sadly the place has gone downhill fast - it was sealed recently, but they left it a bit late... Once upon a time the site was in great condition, but has sadly become a victim of its popularity with local kids. The building is still sealed up well - so after a comedy entrance, I was inside.

You could hear a pin drop - even though it was pitch dark, it was reassuring to know I would not have any unwanted company, after seeing how well the place is secured. I remember, months ago my girlfriend and I had a nasty shock while on the roof - hearing an angle grinder start up, before an awkward encounter with the culprits downstairs...

There has been a mill on this site for roughly 150 years, with the large silo structures built considerably later. As I recall, the site ceased operation around 2005 due to modernization. The site is now in development hell (the plan was to convert the Grade II listed building into apartments) - the buyer paid too much and couldn't make a profit, and left the whole site unguarded for years.

Anyway, as it was a good night for it, half the photographs are taken from the roof. The other half were taken while I tried not to fall through rotten floorboards...

As I was walking down the pitch dark stairwell to leave, a fox shot past on the landing below and made me jump to say the least. I assume she came in for one of the lovely pigeon or rat corpses on offer...

Thanks for looking! :)

Last edited by Ramsgatonian; 4th Jan 13 at 17:34.

"The last Beemer out of Saigon. I'm at the mercy of the Vietnamese peasants. Please don't put me in a bamboo cage."

It's messed up inside now... Weirdly, even though the windows have all been smashed for years, the pigeons have only taken up residence in the last 6 months. It used to be quite clean inside, but now pigeon shit is actually making the floorboards disintegrate! :(

A couple of summers ago, I spent all day on the roof here relaxing after just walking in... Sadly those days are over - I had to risk life and limb to get in here!

"The last Beemer out of Saigon. I'm at the mercy of the Vietnamese peasants. Please don't put me in a bamboo cage."

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DerelictPlaces is a forum for people with an interest in the history and documentation of disused, derelict and abandoned buildings to come together and share their experiences, photography and historical findings. Our military, industrial and historical heritage is fast disappearing under the pressure of regeneration, the need for new housing, and often through simple neglect; Our aim is to document these places before they disappear entirely.